Selective enhancement of bovine papillomavirus type 1 DNA replication in Xenopus laevis eggs by the E6 gene product.

Genetic analyses of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) DNA in transformed mammalian cells have indicated that the E6 gene product is essential for the establishment and maintenance of a high plasmid copy number. In order to analyze the direct effect of the E6 protein on the replication of a BPV-1-derived plasmid, a cDNA containing the BPV-1 E6 open reading frame was subcloned into an SP6 vector for the in vitro synthesis of the corresponding mRNA. The SP6 E6 mRNA was injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes to determine the subcellular localization of the E6 gene product and to analyze the effect of the protein on BPV-1 DNA replication. SP6 E6 mRNA microinjected into stage VI oocytes was translated into a 15.5-kilodalton protein that was specifically immunoprecipitated by antibodies directed against the E6 gene product. The E6 protein preferentially accumulated in oocyte nuclei, a localization which is consistent with the replicative functions in which it has been implicated. The expression of E6 in replication-competent mature oocytes selectively enhanced the replication of a BPV-derived plasmid, indicating a direct role for this gene product in the control of BPV-1 DNA replication.